Tatum Keen Claims First IJF World Tour Medal at the Tbilisi Grand Slam
March 23, 2026
Tatum Keen delivered a standout performance at the Tbilisi Grand Slam in Georgia, securing a silver medal in the -52kg category and claiming the first IJF World Tour medal of her career.
The Bradley Stoke Judo Club judoka arrived in Tbilisi off the back of a narrowly missed podium finish at the Grand Prix Upper Austria in Linz, where she placed fifth. She responded in impressive fashion in Georgia, producing a composed and confident run to reach the final.
Keen, who trains full-time at the British Judo National Training Centre, began her campaign in the Round of 16 against Elene Gvazava (GEO). Demonstrating control on the ground, she secured victory by ippon midway through the contest.
In the quarter-final, Keen faced experienced Grand Slam medallist Sita Kadamboeva (UZB). Looking assured from the outset, she scored waza-ari in under two minutes and managed the remainder of the contest effectively, controlling the pace to see out the win and progress to her first Grand Slam semi-final.
With a place in a medal contest secured, Keen showed her intent to go further in the semi-final against Pauline Cuq (FRA). Taking an early waza-ari lead inside the opening minute, she remained composed under pressure as the contest developed, holding her advantage through a tense exchange to book her place in the final block, a step up from her bronze medal contest appearance in Austria.
In the final, Keen faced a formidable opponent in Blandine Pont (FRA), a multiple-time Grand Slam and Grand Prix medallist, as well as a European Championships silver medallist. In a closely contested bout where very little separated the two, a single yuko score proved decisive, with Pont taking gold and Keen securing silver.
Despite falling just short in the final, the result represents a major breakthrough. Securing her first Grand Slam medal is a huge moment in Keen’s career and underlines the progress she is making at the highest level.
Reflecting on her achievement, Keen said: “It’s a huge milestone I’ve been chasing to achieve, and I’m really proud to have come away with a medal. The work I’ve been putting in during training showed on competition day, which was really encouraging and gave me confidence in what I’m building.
“It’s given me extra motivation to push for bigger results, while reinforcing that I’m on the right track and to keep trusting my journey. Getting the medal so soon after narrowly missing out at the Austria Grand Prix made it even more special.”
An incredible result — congratulations, Tatum!
While Keen’s silver medal was Great Britain’s only podium finish in Tbilisi, there were several strong performances across the squad, including two athletes who fought for bronze.
Acelya Toprak (Camberley JC), competing in just her third event of the year, produced a strong run to finish in fifth place. Reaching the bronze medal contest, she was involved in a tightly contested bout where very little separated the two athletes, with her opponent edging the result by a single yuko. Despite narrowly missing out on the podium, it marks Toprak’s best result of 2026 so far as she continues to build form on the World Tour.
Emma Reid (Redbridge JC) also secured a fifth-place finish in the -78kg category, marking her best result of the year in her third World Tour appearance of 2026. The world number five progressed strongly from the Round of 16 through to the semi-finals, earning a place in the bronze medal contest — her first final block appearance since claiming bronze at the Qingdao Grand Prix in September. Reid was involved in another closely fought contest, but a single yuko proved decisive as she finished just outside the medals.
Overall, it was a highly encouraging weekend for the British team in Tbilisi, with a combination of podium success and strong supporting performances highlighting the depth and progress within the squad.
